A full rainbow appeared in the sky over Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium late Friday afternoon mere minutes before the Baldwinsville girls soccer team would kick off its 2020 season against West Genesee.
Whether symbolic or not, the beautiful sight was followed by one just as attractive to the limited amount of spectators on hand – two teams on a field marking the long-awaited return of big-time high school sports.
As afternoon turned into early evening, the rain picked up – but by then, the Bees already had the production it needed to earn a 3-0 victory over the Wildcats and, in the process, gain a bit of payback.
Eleven months ago, B’ville lost to WG in the Section III Class AA semifinals, derailing championship dreams for a group that still included players who were part of a state title team in 2017.
Without a state or sectional championship to pursue this fall (a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic), the Bees would instead focus on trying to reach perfection, a distinct possibility with only 12 games on the slate.
It just so happened that WG was the first opponent, providing an immediate focus along with a chance to honor the team’s 13 seniors just in case things had to stop later.
Pregame ceremonies featured a senior group that included goalie Jenna Boutilier and forward Hannah Mimas, both of whom would make an immediate impact early in the first half.
Boutelier made a diving stop on Eva Poissant’s attempt to put WG in front and, less than a minute later, Mimas powered home Jozlyn Doran’s corner kick.
It got to 2-0 in the 28th minute off another corner kick, this time a short one where a pair of passes, the last one by Brownyn Madden, set up McKenna Miller’s conversion.
In the waning seconds of the first half, Madden expanded the margin, her hard shot from the point sliding off the hands of WG goalie Jenna Orr and finding the net.
Though B’ville didn’t add to its three-goal advantage in the second half, it used possession time to maintain its pressure as the Wildcats was held to three shots all night.
B’ville visits Liverpool Tuesday before a home date Friday against Class A powerhouse Jamesville-DeWitt, all leading to an Oct. 12 showdown with Fayetteville-Manlius.
